Transportable Moisture Limit: TML, FMP and Certification

The transportable moisture limit is the maximum moisture content at which a Group A solid bulk cargo may be carried, and it is the single number on which the safety of a liquefiable cargo turns. It is defined by reference to the flow moisture point, the moisture content at which a representative sample begins to lose shear strength and behave as a fluid under the conditions of the test.

The full article will cover the three laboratory test procedures in Appendix 2 of the IMSBC Code, including the flow table test, the penetration test and the Proctor/Fagerberg method with its modified variants for specific cargo types. It will cover the certification chain under IMSBC 4.3, and the sampling intervals in section 4.5 that govern how recently a TML and a moisture content must have been determined before loading.

It will also cover what happens at the ship’s side when the declared moisture content approaches or exceeds the TML, including the can test as a shipboard check rather than a substitute for laboratory certification, and the master’s position when the documentation and the cargo’s appearance disagree.